US-Iran Talks Are Off to a Promising Start, But the Hard Part Is Yet to Come

This article was published in World Politics Review on June 22, 2026

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After months of war, missile strikes, disruptions to maritime commerce and fears of a broader regional conflict, the 14-point Islamabad Memorandum was signed by the United States and Iran last week. It ends all hostilities, calls for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and provides immediate economic benefits to Iran. It also sets out a path for Tehran to access billions of dollars in frozen assets, relief from sanctions and, eventually, a $300 billion private reconstruction fund.

The deal also sets a 60-day period for talks between the US and Iran on a range of issues, including Iran’s nuclear program. The two sides said they made progress during an initial round of negotiations in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, over the weekend and agreed on a structure for continued technical talks.

One of the most critical issues concerns the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Paragraph 8 of the Islamabad Memorandum commits both sides to resolving the issue through a mutually agreed-upon mechanism and identifies on-site downblending under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision as the minimum acceptable outcome.

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Read Sahar’s full piece in World Politics Review

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